Hawthorne High School has its first female varsity football coach

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KABC) -- Monique Boone is breaking ground at Hawthorne High School as the first female varsity football coach in Centennial League history.

"It feels amazing and also a lot of responsibility in that respect because we're paving new ground," said Boone.

Boone played soccer, basketball and lacrosse growing up; her family loved football and she watched her brothers play the sport. In her 20s she joined an all-female football league and played for 12 years. But she knew eventually she wanted to be a coach.

"Playing football takes a toll on your body and with that, I need to start transitioning from being a player to being a coach," said Boone. "I want football in my life."

Hawthorne football head coach Corey Thedford says Boone's playing experience and her knowledge of the sport makes her a great coach.

"The fact that she plays football, she is active, she can get out there and demonstrate a lot of times with the kids, she can be mobile and be active," said Thedford. "It kind of earned a little bit of respect out here in a male-dominated sport. So the fact that she knows what she's doing, and she can show that she knows what she's doing goes a long way."

The players on the team say they like the way she teaches.

"She made me better 100%. And she made this whole team better. She's always uplifting us," said Jeffrey Romero a senior at Hawthorne High School.

Boone wants to encourage more women to follow their dreams: "So it was finding a mentor and the sports and being a student of the game and learning as much as you can and continue to want to learn."